tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post3411130685466096790..comments2023-09-15T04:27:57.129-04:00Comments on Commentarama: RNC Supports Constitution, Electoral CollegeAndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-73741954199119818332011-08-12T01:15:39.405-04:002011-08-12T01:15:39.405-04:00T-Rav: The true believer can live in a world that...T-Rav: The true believer can live in a world that doesn't exist. Genuine, doctrinaire, movement libertarians (as opposed to the Libertarian Party, which is much more flexible) are true believers. All true believers scare me a little. Like Islamists or Progressives.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-80255116311234796032011-08-12T00:56:07.919-04:002011-08-12T00:56:07.919-04:00LawHawk, I would say that the problems with Ron Pa...LawHawk, I would say that the problems with Ron Paul go beyond the fact that we're not the only nation on earth. I think these statements reflect his basic frame of mind. He has an extremely ideological position, in the sense that he thinks reality will bend to reflect his theory, rather than the other way around. If only we adopt an isolationist, hands-off approach, all these problems overseas will resolve themselves and those hostile peoples won't have us to kick around any longer. That's not how it works. In fact, this is my real criticism of libertarianism--it may be a more appealing ism to those of us on the Right, but it's still an ism, in the same way that socialism is an ism. That is, it's not so much about interpreting how the world does work as it is about proclaiming how the world should/will work. You can see it in social issues too: 'If we decriminalize drugs and prostitution and so on, the stigma of those behaviors will go away and they won't have negative consequences anymore.' That's not rational in any way; but it seems to be how Ron Paul thinks. That's why he's a bad candidate.<br /><br />(Sorry to be bashing libertarianism so much, people that call themselves libertarians.)T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-65134917768242651582011-08-12T00:35:12.209-04:002011-08-12T00:35:12.209-04:00LawHawk, I agree about Romney's potential. The...LawHawk, I agree about Romney's potential. The reasons we can't stand him are the reasons a lot of Beltway Republicans love him and will do everything they can to give him the nomination over a better candidate. And if the Tea Party can't coalesce around a single alternative, Romney could easily win by default. <br /><br />So Joel, I would be very cautious about saying Romney's done. Keep in mind, four years ago Obama's hideously far-left record, plus his lack of experience and radical connections, was more than enough to rule him out as a serious contender. Except it didn't.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-19542568800686183472011-08-12T00:10:20.560-04:002011-08-12T00:10:20.560-04:00T-Rav and Joel: I agree that at this point a true...T-Rav and Joel: I agree that at this point a true conservative candidate can only win the nomination by bumping off Romney. That means a two-pronged attack. First, hit Obama. Second, hit Romney. Bonus points for making Romney appear to be Obama-Lite. That won't be easy in the public debates because he is an experienced politician, nearly unflappable, always totally prepared, articulate, and smooth. That doesn't make him a good presidential nominee, but it does make him a formidable candidate.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-67659649033032240562011-08-12T00:06:53.665-04:002011-08-12T00:06:53.665-04:00T-Rav,
Don't worry about Romney. He has only ...T-Rav,<br /><br />Don't worry about Romney. He has only traction with the Media. Like Huntsman, he will be unimpressive against Perry. <br /><br />I am waiting for the week of August 29, 2011. Until then, none of these people are even in the running. Yes, they say they are, but they really aren't.Joel Farnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15856960977033430002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-34490740191549721072011-08-12T00:03:17.326-04:002011-08-12T00:03:17.326-04:00T-Rav: On Huntsman, good point. He blew another ...T-Rav: On Huntsman, good point. He blew another issue as well. His personal business employed 5,000 employees, but most of them were in China. When asked how that helps American workers and job creation, he just babbled about what a good company it was and how proud he was of it. Instead of addressing issues directly, he simply said how proud he was of whatever he had done as governor or ambassador that loosely related to that particular issue.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-67517103472534749302011-08-11T23:40:05.403-04:002011-08-11T23:40:05.403-04:00Joel, just brace yourself. This will continue for ...Joel, just brace yourself. This will continue for six more months at least. We'll see the field winnowed down quite a bit over time, but it'll still be a fight between two or three candidates to the end. Perry (or Bachmann, if she keeps up her support) will win Iowa, then Romney will win New Hampshire, then Perry/Bachmann will win South Carolina, etc. Whether he ends up getting the nomination or not, Romney unfortunately won't be going anywhere any time soon, so it'll undoubtedly be him vs. a Tea Party candidate, if nothing else. <br /><br />And I realize I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but I'll say it again: they HAVE to start hitting Romney hard. Not just on the issues, though of course that's important, but on this notion that he's "the most electable candidate." No, he's not, unless you let him be. Pawlenty, Bachmann, Perry, anyone else whose campaigns might possibly read this, get in Mitt's face and ask him how he can represent a conservative alternative to Obama when he endorsed government-run health care. How Democrat-lite has been working out for us in recent elections. All of that. If you want to beat him, you have to do that.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-38985320526820284082011-08-11T23:30:47.547-04:002011-08-11T23:30:47.547-04:00LawHawk, clever incorporation of Waterloo. Althoug...LawHawk, clever incorporation of Waterloo. Although I've been pulling for Bachmann somewhat (for totally subjective reasons), I do like Pawlenty and thought he had the potential to be perhaps the strongest contender in the field. His loss may turn out to be ours as well, though I hope not. But my guess is he won't make the top three at Ames on Saturday and his campaign will gradually fizzle out. And I have no idea who he would endorse after that (though I do have a good guess who he won't). <br /><br />I agree with your overall assessment of winners and losers, except to say that Huntsman didn't really lose support. It's kind of hard to lose something you don't have.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-68253489833886970002011-08-11T23:23:01.622-04:002011-08-11T23:23:01.622-04:00Joel: I think the answer to your question is the ...Joel: I think the answer to your question is the time will be when one of the candidates emerges as a clear conservative front-runner that we can all support one way or another. That hasn't happened yet, but at least this time we're not quickly deciding "whose turn is it." The more this goes on, the clearer the picture we get of each candidate. I am old enough to remember when the clear winner wasn't known even by the end of the first day of the nominating convention. I'm in no hurry. I'd rather do it right than do it fast.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-35651530584498452062011-08-11T23:18:03.357-04:002011-08-11T23:18:03.357-04:00T-Rav: Isolationist fortress America didn't w...T-Rav: Isolationist fortress America didn't work on December 7, 1941, it didn't work on September 11, 2011, and it won't work now. The reality is that we are overextended and need to let a lot of industrialized western nations take care of themselves and pay for their own defense. But it is simply unrealistic to think we can withdraw to our own borders and let the rest of the world do whatever it pleases. Paul is just plain wrong in that thinking.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-54416395799507661362011-08-11T23:14:39.677-04:002011-08-11T23:14:39.677-04:00LawHawk,
I trust Associated Press very little. Ab...LawHawk,<br /><br />I trust Associated Press very little. About the same level as Yahoo News.<br /><br />The only interesting part in this is that there is ONE whole year and a little less than four months prior to the Presidential Election. At what point will it be necessary for us to choose? <br /><br />Also, none of them cause the opposition, namely Obama, to break into a sweat. Even Perry isn't doing anything, and he is getting into the race this Saturday. Which Palin is crashing the Iowa on Friday. The hijinks off the official field are far more interesting.<br /><br />Palin has already hulled Perry. Only he doesn't know it yet.Joel Farnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15856960977033430002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-56006112108779328512011-08-11T23:14:11.210-04:002011-08-11T23:14:11.210-04:00T-Rav: I can't find much to disagree with. A...T-Rav: I can't find much to disagree with. And I sadly agree that Pawlenty hurt himself more than he helped.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-20171427788231007932011-08-11T23:11:46.927-04:002011-08-11T23:11:46.927-04:00Joel: If AP based their opinion solely on leaked ...Joel: If AP based their opinion solely on leaked closing remarks from the candidates, I would agree that Romney and Bachmann were the best. I think a lot of Pawlenty, but I also think this may have been his Waterloo (oops, <i>double-entendre</i>). Unless I'm wrong, he's not going to pick up the votes he needs in the Ames Iowa straw poll, and he needed to some in no worse than second or third.<br /><br />I also think Hunstsman shot himself in the foot by strongly advocating for gay unions. It's one thing to say "let the states decide" (which several candidates did), but it's quite another to advocate gay unions to a moderate to conservative electorate. I think Romney and Bachmann both strengthened their positions, the others remained neutral, while Pawlenty and Hunstsman lost support. But we'll see.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-25926440153304639032011-08-11T23:07:56.974-04:002011-08-11T23:07:56.974-04:00I will say this about Ron Paul, though: When it ca...I will say this about Ron Paul, though: When it came time for foreign policy, he stated that we should normalize relations with Cuba, and strongly implied that it's no big deal if Iran gets nuclear weapons, because that's their right as a nation. This is why I am not a libertarian.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-7057209650179409192011-08-11T23:05:17.824-04:002011-08-11T23:05:17.824-04:00LawHawk (and Joel), to be clear, I'm viewing l...LawHawk (and Joel), to be clear, I'm viewing live feeds about the debate, not the debate itself. So that's where I'm getting my info. From what I can tell, Romney's been challenged some, but no one's gone after him in earnest, and he's naturally a suave enough guy he can brush some of it off. Bachmann and Pawlenty were getting a lot of criticism for going after each other more than after Romney, which I think is more damaging for Pawlenty since he has more to lose. And the others had their good and bad moments.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-16105840957380829602011-08-11T22:53:32.571-04:002011-08-11T22:53:32.571-04:00Joel: That makes a bit more sense. I would agree...Joel: That makes a bit more sense. I would agree that Romney and Bachmann seemed to be in the forefront, but I personally wouldn't give anybody a clear victory so far. Gingrich was really on fire, but it was more sizzle than steak.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-8123960355631042982011-08-11T22:47:29.464-04:002011-08-11T22:47:29.464-04:00T-Rav: It is apparent that the candidates were be...T-Rav: It is apparent that the candidates were being advised to differentiate themselves from the other candidates since they all agree that Obama's a loser. I don't know how effective that will turn out to be, but it certainly makes logical sense. And I agree. So far, Romney is stealing the show, and the rest are letting him do it. At least Pawlenty didn't back down from his comparison of the Romney and Obama health care plans.<br /><br />The gay marriage/civil unions thing was interesting, and I like knowing where the candidates stand. But it doesn't really stand as a major issue in the upcoming election. Ditto for abortion.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-86795212825604099822011-08-11T22:45:15.577-04:002011-08-11T22:45:15.577-04:00T-Rav,
That's interesting. Associated Press s...T-Rav,<br /><br />That's interesting. <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/gop-candidates-obama-other-013646096.html" rel="nofollow">Associated Press</a> seems to think that Bachman and Perry won. So, Romney wasn't challenged?Joel Farnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15856960977033430002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-30372128778858897782011-08-11T21:44:47.299-04:002011-08-11T21:44:47.299-04:00T-Rav: I've been watching the debates. It...T-Rav: I've been watching the debates. It's gotten a little testy a couple of times, and I think that's a good thing.<br /><br />Anybody who wants to comment here on the debates should feel free to do so. Love to hear what you all think.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-50825857230544472372011-08-11T20:50:46.229-04:002011-08-11T20:50:46.229-04:00LawHawk, I just hope she accepts that logic. :-)
...LawHawk, I just hope she accepts that logic. :-)<br /><br />By the way, there's another GOP debate tonight at 9 ET. Yeah, who knew, right? I'll be following along on a few live blogs, because I'm a glutton for punishment or something, and if anything interesting happens I'll mention it afterwards. It could be interesting, because with the Ames poll in two days, Pawlenty may well be finished if he doesn't make some kind of an impression. So will he finally go after his fellow candidates (specifically Bachmann)? We'll see...T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-49325980489077540402011-08-11T20:48:00.344-04:002011-08-11T20:48:00.344-04:00T-Rav - I never said I LIKED kats. LawHawk is ri...T-Rav - I never said I LIKED kats. LawHawk is right. They are shifty.BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-74287032586596425812011-08-11T20:19:44.843-04:002011-08-11T20:19:44.843-04:00rla, yeah I guess I should stop risking that. I ca...rla, yeah I guess I should stop risking that. I can't stain the carpet like that again. :-)T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-75546630992517029122011-08-11T19:09:49.136-04:002011-08-11T19:09:49.136-04:00"Make it a direct vote for the President, the..."Make it a direct vote for the President, then conduct the vote on the internet, and include a recall provision. That way, if we didn't like the way the President was conducting the nation's affairs after a week or two, we could recall him or her and get a new one right away."<br /><br />You Pansies! Why not just execute them after two weeks? Why bother with a recall at all. Let's go all Ancient Greece on their...hmmmmm, uuuuuh...if anyone is listening in...I am just kidding...hah-hah {{laughs nervously}}BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-39205578981082213122011-08-11T18:54:13.094-04:002011-08-11T18:54:13.094-04:00T-Rav: That's an even better idea.
BTW: Are...T-Rav: That's an even better idea.<br /><br />BTW: Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Democratic National Committee?LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-91952052015950267642011-08-11T18:52:46.865-04:002011-08-11T18:52:46.865-04:00Patti: You're welcome. Can you think of a re...Patti: You're welcome. Can you think of a reason why you might not have heard about this latest development? The MSM, perhaps? Stealth circumventions of the Constitution are not something they want headlines on.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.com